ROCKFORD — There was a time when police and fire were a constant presence in the Churchill Park neighborhood.

Officers chased gang members, drug abusers and vandals out of scores of abandoned, flood-damaged houses, while firefighters were called to extinguish suspicious fires.

Thursday night, police and fire were once again in the neighborhood, but for all the right reasons.

The emergency personnel joined more than 50 people at the third annual Churchill Park Christmas Parade and tree lighting on the banks of Keith Creek near Sixth Avenue and 15th Street.

The end-of-the-year event is a chance for all to reflect on the state of the neighborhood following the back-to-back 100-year floods in 2006 and 2007 and celebrate the neighborhood’s continued transformation for the better.

“There were so many changes here,” Churchill Park resident Beatriz Rich said of the residents who lost their homes. “People were hurt and lost.”

In the weeks and months after the floods, Rich said the remaining residents did two lasting things: They repeatedly called Rockford city and Rockford Park District police to address crime and with the help of the Rev. Steve Klemp, they formed a neighborhood association.

Klemp, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, 827 16th St., opens the church doors to residents to host their monthly meetings. He said the floods united the neighborhood.

“They are empowered now,” he said of the residents’ partnerships with city and Rockford Park District officials.

Residents have used their new found green space to accommodate a new skate park, host the city’s National Night Out celebration and flip the light switch on a Park District-decorated pine tree dubbed the “Tree of Hope.”

“They realize if they band together, they can make things happen,” Klemp said.

Since the floods, as many as 115 flood-damaged homes on either side of Keith Creek have been acquired and demolished by the city with state and federal dollars, said Marcy Leach, city engineering operations manager.

“Our intention is to widen the creek (from 30 feet to 100 feet),” she said. “The widening is several years out due to funding.”

With the creek expansion will come bridge expansions and bridge removals. The project is estimated to cost $11 million.

“We’ve been meeting with the residents every month,” Leach said. “They like what they see, but they wish we had the money to do the widening project now.”

Alderman Jamie Getchius, R-2, said, “It’s a really big challenge, but we are committed to it.